In 2008, when I was a greenhorn editor during my first year at Rider, I attended the MotoVentures dirtbike school run by Gary LaPlante, along with my brother Paul and our friend Eric, to learn some off-road riding skills. Gary was patient with us. We were street riders and had never ridden off-road, and we were in our late 30s/early 40s. Teaching old dogs new tricks is never easy. He laid the foundation, and since then I’ve ridden thousands of miles off-road on dual-sports and adventure bikes.
Gary LaPlante is a motorcycle industry legend, and he needs our help. Please make a donation, and while you’re at it, buy Gary’s book How to Ride Off-Road Motorcycles. (Read our review here.) The following message was sent by his son, Andre. — Greg Drevenstedt, Editor-in-Chief
Many people in the motorcycle world know Gary LaPlante — lifelong rider … trials champion … key employee at Kawasaki, Honda, and others … founder of the MotoVentures dirtbike training center … and, of course, an original member of the infamous Southern California Professional Bench Racers Association (SCPBRA).
Many of you also know that Gary’s been hit with brain cancer. Even with health insurance, his medical bills are substantial. Now you can help and get yourself a first-class piece of art directly from the legendary Hector Cademartori.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Gary: https://gofund.me/832068ac
Share this with anyone who appreciates great riding and great art:
A donation of at least $150 gets you a large full-color print, delivered to your door.
A donation of $50 gets you a black-and-white print, also delivered.
To receive your print, contact us (MotoVentures.com) after completing a donation. Let us know your mailing address and which print you prefer (options below). Hector will be happy to sign each print as you request.
Whichever one you choose, you’ll be doing a true good deed for the day, and will be able to enjoy Hector’s world-class art for a lifetime.
Go for it. Remember, the red line is the right line.
Color Prints (20 x 15”).
Message from the artist; Hector Cademartori:
I did these paintings for the February 1985 issue of Cycle World magazine. They ran four articles about four champions of the 1984 season: Eddie Lawson, 500 cc FIM World Champion (written by Ken Vreeke), Ricky Graham Camel-PRO Grand National Champion (by Dave Despain), David Bailey, Motocross Grand National Champion (by David Edwards), and Johnny O’Mara Supercross Champion (by Dale Brown).
Ricky Graham signed with Honda at the end of 1983. After 33 races of the 1984 Camel PRO Series, Ricky Graham won the title by only one point over his teammate, Bubba Shobert, in the last race of the season at Springfield.
Johnny O’Mara lost the 125 Outdoor championship in 1984 to Kawasaki’s Jeff Ward, but he won the Supercross title by a big margin against all the top riders. He was also part of the winning teams of the Motocross des Nations that year (and in ’81, ’82 and ’86).
American Eddie Lawson (Marlboro Team Agostini-Yamaha) in pursuit of Freddie Spencer (HRC Honda) and Randy Mamola (RM Promotions Honda) during the 1984 Austrian GP at the Salzburgring. Eddie would win the race on his way to the first of his four 500 cc FIM World Championships.
In 1983, David Bailey won titles in every motocross series he entered: 250 Outdoor, Supercross, and the Motocross Grand National Championship (which combined points from the stadium and outdoor championships). In 1984, his first year in the Open class, he clinched the title before the last race of the season.
B&W Prints (8.5 x 11”):
Note from Hector:
Cycle World asked me to produce black-and-white illustrations for two of their sections, Letter to the Editor and Service. Some were straight illustrations, but then I started doing funny cartoons for the sections. I’d work with Paul Dean for these — and I enjoyed working with him for over 25 years. In fact, I met him when he was Editor of Cycle Guide before going to CW. I learned a lot from Paul. Great guy.
I developed a character, Bubba, owner of Bubba’s Moor’sicles — a clueless mechanic who would come up with the most outrageous ”fixes” for his customers’ problems. The cartoons by themselves sometimes don’t make a lot of sense since they illustrate a specific letter, but it’s fun to see the details and the characters around Bubba’s shop. A lot of fun.
